(a)Timing. The attorney shall file with the designated clerk and serve on Bar Counsel an answer to the petition:(1) within 15 days after service; or(2) by such other time specified by the Supreme Court.(b)Content and Scope.(1)Generally. Defenses and objections to the petition, including insufficiency of service, shall be stated in the answer and not by preliminary motion.(2)Limited Scope. It is not a defense or ground for objection to a petition that procedural defects may have occurred during disciplinary or remedial proceedings prior to the filing of the petition.(c)Failure to Answer. If the time for filing an answer has expired and the attorney has failed to file an answer in accordance with section (a) of this Rule, the court shall treat the failure as a default, and the provisions of Rule 2-613 shall apply. This Rule is derived from former Rule 16-754(2016).
Adopted June 6, 2016, eff. 7/1/2016; amended July 8, 2021, eff. 10/1/2021; amended April 21, 2023, eff. 4/1/2023.